An avid collector of books and historical manuscripts, Wymberley Jones DeRenne commissioned the building of a Greek Revival-style library on the grounds of Wormsloe to house and showcase his impressive collection of Georgiana, attracting historians from afar. The DeRenne library’s grandeur and famous marsh view made for picturesque paintings and photographs that created ideal images for a series of collectible postcards.
Unrivalled View and Collection at the Library
Completed in 1908, the grand architecture of the Wormsloe library proudly stands with a beautiful view of the marsh overlooking the river and sits just a short distance away from the main house. Its unrivalled collection of books, manuscripts and original letters attracted well-known historians U.B. Phillips and Charles and Mary Beard to come calling to Wormsloe to explore its trove of materials and enjoy its lush grounds. [Greenberg, Collecting Georgia History: Five DeRennes and Their Books, 465] [Wormsloe Tour document, Georgia Historical Society Vertical Files]
The DeRenne Library Family Portraits
In addition to the W. J. DeRenne Library housing one of the country’s most valuable and expansive private collections of Georgiana, it provided a stately backdrop to showcase a series of family portraits painted by notable artists of the time. These paintings included: Noble Wymberly Jones by Charles Willson Peale, George Wymberley Jones DeRenne by Carl Brandt, and Wymberley Jones DeRenne by Gari Melchers. Artists Carl Brandt and Gari Melchers both held highly prestigious roles at Savannah’s Telfair Academy, with Brandt serving as its first Director, and Melchers serving as its Fine Arts Advisor. [Telfair Museum website, www.telfair.org] [Wormsloe Gardens pamphlet, Savannah Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Historical Society Vertical Files]
The DeRenne Library and the Wormsloe Press
A bibliophile and historian, George Wymberley Jones DeRenne not only collected books, but also established the Wormsloe Press which printed many rare and interesting items in limited editions. Among its publications was the first book edition of Ik Marvel’s “The Reveries of a Bachelor,” a collection of musings on adolescence, marriage, home life, and leisure that became one of the most popular books of the 1850s. [Spiro, Reading with a Tender Rapture: Reveries of a Bachelor and the Rhetoric of Detached Intimacy] [Wormsloe Gardens pamphlet, Savannah Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Historical Society Vertical Files]
Wormsloe Library
Designed by Savannah architects Henrik Wallin and Edward Warren Young, the library at Wormsloe features Ionic columns and wide marble steps, resembling a dignified Greek temple. Perhaps, most importantly, in order to alleviate W. J. DeRenne’s growing concern over the safety of his valuable collection, the architects utilized concrete, marble and tile construction to create a completely fireproof structure. [Bragg, DeRenne Three Generations of a Georgia Family, 283]